Our very own Caitlyn Baylor was featured on WNIJ’s Perspectives Series today! Thank you to WNIJ for featuring her and to Caitlyn for your sharing perspective towards Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing! By CAITLYN BAYLOR The 1968 Fair Housing Act included a requirement that jurisdictions not only combat discrimination in housing, but that they “Affirmatively Further Fair Housing,” known as the AFFH Rule. It requires proactive policies that improve equitable outcomes for all. In 2015, the Department of Housing and Urban Development finally issued concrete guidance on meeting these obligations: now HUD is considering an overhaul. We at Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity believe the 2015 AFFH guidelines should stay in place. …

Congratulations to our Executive Director, Keri Nelson! She was the recent recipient of Wrex 13’s Inspiring 815 Award! We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished. Thank you for inspiring our community. WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Honoring Dr. King through the fight for fair housing By: Caitlyn Baylor, RAHFH Business Manager I grew up in Rockford, where, for five years, I attended Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School on Rockford’s southwest side. Every morning, first through fifth grade, right hands on our hearts, we began our day with the “peacemaker pledge.” The last line of our daily recitation: We follow Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s lead, as one school family, dedicated to helping one another grown in peace. At King School, the life and work of Dr. King was an enormous part of our curriculum. We sang songs about Dr. King in our school choir, The…

It is spring! Rockford Habitat for Humanity is bustling all year around but the onset of spring sparks a special enthusiasm for me. As a volunteer, I am most engaged from spring until fall. This is the beginning of the “build season”. There are fundraisers happening like Framing Hope where walls are built for one of our new homes in the Home Depot parking lot. It is exciting to meet the people that stop by to see what we are doing and learn about Habitat. There is a dinner for the army of construction volunteers to meet the families that will become the future homeowners. The groundbreaking ceremony asks God’s…

Building a Dream: Mr. Anderson reflects on empowering high school students to learn invaluable skills while changing lives By Mark Anderson, Construction Teacher at Guilford High School Three years ago, Habitat started impacting lives in a brand-new way. I was being forced to go to an after-school meeting downtown. Two major issues: I hate meetings and I really did not want to give up my night for one. A million thoughts went through my head of how to get out of it. Should I be sick??? Should I just somehow forget about it??? Maybe I had to watch my kids that night??? Or just tell them no??? It was the…

The 33rd Carter Work Project will take place in Memphis, Tennessee, from August 21-26. And we could really use your help! Rockford Area Habitat For Humanity’s Business Manager Caitlyn Baylor and Executive Director Keri Nelson will be joining thousands of other volunteers in Memphis. The Carter Work Project attracts volunteers from all across the globe and this year country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will be joining in to help. About the Carter Work Project For over 30 years the former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn have been helping Habitat build and improve homes. “President and Mrs. Carter have worked alongside 92,000 volunteers to build, renovate…

My name is Tikisha Ellis. I am a 30-year old single parent, full time employee at RPS 205, and entrepreneur. As I go through the process of purchasing my first home this summer with Habitat for Humanity, here is what I have learned and my advice to all of the future homebuyers out there! Becoming a homeowner takes a lot of hard work, dedication and discipline, from managing money and balancing check books to continuously working on repairing and maintaining your credit. You have to be spiritually, physically, and mentally ready to take on this journey— because becoming a homeowner is exactly that: a journey. Even though it is hard…

I have been deeply involved as a volunteer with Habitat for six years now, but my history with Habitat really traces all the way back to my father, who not only supported the organization but also raised me to believe that we should always help those who help themselves. As a current Board Member and past President of Habitat, I am proud that Habitat is a hand-up that empowers families in need to accomplish homeownership for themselves. In addition to sitting on the board, I have been a volunteer “house-leader” with Habitat for six years. In this role, I am privileged to lead the construction on one home each…

UPDATE: Framing Hope was a great success and we now look forward to completing the home at 208 N London Ave. If you would like to come frame to home with us on Saturday, May 14, please give us a call at 815-636-4573! We are thrilled to announce our first annual Framing Hope event to be held on April 9, 2016! We invite any and all community members to join us on the 9th in the parking lot of Home Depot to help build the walls for one of the homes we will complete in the summer of 2016. The event is free to participate in; we only ask…

Last summer the Field Team became a house sponsor for the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. The entire team was excited to participate in something that would make a positive effect on the community. This wasn’t just about sending another check; it was about our team getting out there and rolling up our sleeves, putting in the work, and getting it done. While many of the team members signed up to volunteer to learn new home building skills, or to teach someone a skill that they already knew, strange things started happening to our team. While our entire team knew that we were building a house for ‘someone,’ when the…